Fittingly for a project billed as Switzerland's "construction of the
century," the Gotthard Base Tunnel was inaugurated amid colorful,
sometimes surreal scenes, with visiting dignitaries treated to costumed
dancers, fireworks and plenty of yodeling and alphorns.
European leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French
President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi
joined Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann on the first official
journey on the line.
The 57-kilometer long (35-mile long) tunnel creates a high-speed rail
link deep beneath the famous mountain range, connecting northern and
southern Europe.
And with characteristic Swiss punctuality, this major engineering feat has been completed on schedule.
Shortcut through the Alps
Reaching a depth of 2,300 meters (7,545 feet, almost 1.5 miles) the tunnel will slice an hour off the travel time between Zurich, Switzerland, and Milan, Italy.
Trains will travel the tunnel, which runs between the towns of Erstfeld
in the north and Bodio in the south, in only 20 minutes, reaching speeds
of up to 250 kilometers an hour (155 mph), according to the Swiss
Travel System.
Beyond the anticipated benefits for travel and trade, the project will
provide a direct and economic route for freight transport.
AlpTransit Gotthard, the company behind the construction of the tunnel,
says the project will boost the efficiency and reliability of rail
freight, making it more competitive.
Gotthard overtakes the 53.9-kilometer Seikan Tunnel in northern Japan as
the longest rail tunnel in the world, relegating the 50.5-kilometer
Channel Tunnel between Britain and France into third place.
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